Devotionals

That the majority of Jews had not fulfilled the condition of repentance necessary for restoration (Jer. 29:10–14) when the Son of God became incarnate demonstrates that the fundamental problem for Israel was not Gentile domination but rather the presence of ...Read More

Today we speak of a comforter as one who comes to wipe our tears away and console us. While the Spirit does perform this work, that is not what we mean when we call Him our Comforter. Dr. R.C. ...Read More

When we are having difficulty trusting the Lord, it can be helpful for us to recount all the ways in which He has been faithful in the past. First, we should remember how God kept His promises to Noah, Abraham, ...Read More

Isaiah 61:3 indicates that one result of the Messiah’s work is to make His people “oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD.” This is an image of permanence, of life in God’s presence forever. John Calvin comments, “There ...Read More

The scribes in Matthew 2:1–6 answer Herod with an interpretive gloss that says Bethlehem is not the least of the clans of Judah because of the Messiah. Though many of them would reject Jesus, this interpretive reading implicitly recognizes the ...Read More

When Christ came the first time, His primary aim was not condemnation. Condemnation was more of a secondary but inevitable consequence of rejecting His gracious salvation. “Whoever believes in [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is ...Read More

Because we are sinners, we can do nothing in and of ourselves to merit eternal life. Even after we are saved, our best works remain tainted by sin and cannot produce the perfection we need for a righteous standing before ...Read More

Jesus ransoms us from the wrath of God, which means that we never need fear His condemnation if we trust in Christ alone for our salvation. In ransoming us from God’s wrath, our Savior also rescues us from bondage to ...Read More

In other religions, such as Islam and Judaism, God simply waves sin away, not requiring payment for transgressions in order to forgive. This idea betrays a view of a Creator who is not really all that holy, who ultimately is ...Read More

If we are not careful, we will miss what is perhaps the most beautiful truth taught in Isaiah 53: the Messiah does not fail to save His people. He actually and fully saves them from first to last. Isaiah will ...Read More